Glee: Does Kurt Hummel Hurt Or Help The Gay Cause?

Regular readers of Remote Patrolled will know I write about Glee a lot!

At its best Fox’s hit high school series is easily one of the top shows on TV with sharp writing, Sue Sylvester stealing every scene and some truly transformative musical moments – just witness the cast’s recent terrific rendition of ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’. And since its return at the start of April the show has been on a ratings high – almost doubling its previous recordings and dominating singles and albums charts.

But for me one of the best things about Glee is just how unashamedly gay the whole enterprise is. Unlike that other bastion of teen musicality – the High School Musical series, which paid lip service to diversity (‘We’re All In This Together’) but couldn’t even comprehend the idea of a gay teen in its cast (yes, Ryan Evans, that means you!) – Glee has always had a sly and subversive streak from the start.

With an out married lesbian as the show’s biggest star (Jane Lynch – glorious on screen and off), a gay man as its newest heartthrob Jesse St James, out show creator Ryan Murphy and the playful bisexuality of BFF’s Santana and Brittany – Glee is clearly a very, very gay show.

But at the center of the gay Glee universe is Chris Colfer as Kurt – the out teenager with a penchant for fashion, musicals and moisturizer.

And there’s the rub you see – because as much as I love Kurt (and equally Chris Colfer himself who just sparkles in interviews) I worry that one of the most important gay role models on TV is rapidly becoming a rather unlikable stereotype.

Like so many gay characters on TV (see my recent Modern Family post – FUNNY UNCLES), Kurt plays the ‘role’ of the sassy gay friend (with Mercedes as the sassy black friend) who loves all the things gay men are supposed to love – the theater, dramatics, bitchy one liners. Make him Latino and suddenly you have Justin from Ugly Betty. Hmm – doesn’t sound too diverse does it?

In recent storylines we’ve had Kurt giving Sue and Rachel makeovers (because of course that’s what all gay men specialize in!), camping up the football squad (since obviously a gay man couldn’t really play football) and dressing like Beyonce in the ‘Single Ladies’ unitard (how long until Kurt actually cross dresses in an episode I wonder?)

All fine in their own way – but for a show as subversive as Glee I wish it hadn’t opted for such obvious storylines and resolutions. How refreshing it would have been if Kurt’s makeovers had been disasters, or if he’d turned out to be a darn good football player and actually enjoyed the game? Now that’s different.

Above all else I want the writers to kill off the truly horrible Kurt The Stalker storyline. Having Kurt mooning over and manipulating Finn, probably the most heterosexual character on the show, isn’t just sad – it’s downright weird and kinda creepy. And worst of all it reinforces another key stereotype that’s been used for decades now – that all gay men are out to ‘turn’ all straight men. I honestly worry about the messages this storyline sends out and hope it doesn’t play out much longer.

I hate to put pressure on the Glee producers as they should undoubtedly be commended in many, many ways. But all gay characters on TV are hugely important and carry a lot of weight – especially with young viewers. For a generation of teenagers Kurt is going to be the most identifiable gay man on TV for the next few years – and unfortunately he isn’t massively advancing the cause.

Sure he’s one character and can’t be expected to embody everything but I just wish Kurt could be a little less Jack McFarland at times (Will and Grace) and a bit more Jack McPhee (Dawson’s Creek). Less show-tunes and more swagger please…

But what do you think? Are you a Kurt fan? Do you think he perpetuates a stereotype – or subverts it? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

We need some stereotypes!!! its what makes the show fun to watch. reasons why i enjoyed Glee and UgleBetty was because of Kurt and Mark. But if you payed attention to the show, you’d see one of the football players (Karofski?) is gay as well. Later we got Blaine and Sebastian. sure they both love their hair products and sings, but thats main focus of the show (show choir). Beside “all” guys nowadays love hair-gel.
Celebrating stereotypes is a good thing, cause they are out there as well. Glee celebrates ANYONE, Jews, African American, Jocks, Christians and more than i care to name atm. AND, in an episode Kurt REFUSED, to cross-dress. just saying.

I agree that Kurt character is pretty heavy handed at times. In fact, I don’t always love his character… he can have wonderfully endearing storylines as well as those that make me cringe. But I respect/admire the fact that it’s pretty real… that Kurt allows himself to be how he is. To just be.

I think it’s ironic that people would want to create this “epitomized” version of the gay…one who doesn’t lust after hot straight boys, that doesn’t have a knack for style and is extremely passionate about designers and their visionary creativity. Why is it so “cliche”? Brittany is oversexed and has great fashion. Why is this not a problem?

When it comes to saying this is an innaccurate portrayal, I will agree that it’s not everybody. But it does begin to deal with the honest perceptions people have about gay boys. And believe me, there are LOTS of gay boys who exhibit many of Kurt’s traits. It is not a gross misrepresentation. And it’s REALLY important that the show allows viewers to recognize that…and empathize with the challenges that a real gay boy goes thru.

Although it may make an interesting dichotomy if “he ended up being good at football” or wasn’t “quite as flaming” [me paraphrasing]… but since when did the message shift from acceptance for your sexual preference, to preference when you’re only 75% gay but have some straight tendencies that make you more desireable???

while there is promiscuity in the gay ctomunimy, there is 90 times more of it in the straight communities.as soon as you get all heteros to live with monogamy, then and only then can you insist on it in the gay ctomunimy.

i hate stereotypical gay men, almost as much as i hate stereotypical Latinos. it seems only white people in television have true characters while all ethnic groups are copy and past stereotypes. more writers should write characters like captain jack harkness from torchwood. he is gay and a real developed character. mot to mention he can kick your ass

having seen the newer episodes of glee, i think kurt has developed as a character, and is no longer simply the ott flamboyant "gay" one. he has had some very interesting storylines, including the one where his dad nearly dies, and we get to examine how he feels about faith, which i found very interesting. the truth is, some people are like that, and some aren't. writers should be allowed to create characters that reflect those few, they are not necessarily trying to represent all gay people. if there is a slutty female character in a show we don't automatically think that the writer is trying to say all women are like this, it's just them exploring one type of woman. the glee writers are exploring one type of gan man, which is a valid as any other. all of the other characters are stereotypes too. if you really think of gay people in the same way as anyone else, then you would be just as offended by every other charater, and would see him chasing after finn in a similar way to how you see any other charaters obsession with another.
btw, kurts new "love interest" doesn't seem that flamboyant at all.

“If gay men were normal, well-adjusted, one of the guys types, they wouldn’t be gay.”

That’s not entirely true. How it is that gays are gay is a complex thing that involves more than just socialization. There’s no reason why a gay guy can’t be a well-adjusted one-of-the-guys type of guy. Being gay is not about being feminine or flamboyant. The central feature of being gay is being a man who likes other men.

“Men have to feel alienated before assuming a gay identity.”

So, it’s never the case that a gay guy feels alienated after “assuming a gay identity”?

I’m gay, I have two great average parents who raised me well with discipline and with love, I was always very popular in school and have never been short of straight mates to hang out with and go down the pub with, I’m a blokes bloke, I have never felt alienated because of my sexuality in my life because I live in a community that accepts it for what it is, anybody would assume I’m straight unless I told them otherwise. I have a good job that pays well, I work hard at it, am successful and lucky in life, attractive and intelligent. I am well adjusted.

Your statement isn’t a proven fact and it couldn’t be further from it. In truth the current trend in scientists train of thought is that homosexuality is decided in the womb, not before or after birth and is a naturally occurring phenomenon. The only people who argue otherwise are religious extremists and bigots who can’t think for themselves. Anybody who is remotely intelligent knows otherwise.

tl;dr You couldn’t be more wrong and people like you sicken me. Your parents FAILED in educating you and generating an intelligent and compassionate human being.

I dissagree, i have many gay male friends, and being out myself ive never seen a character willing to go that far to show who he is. I love kurt and apprecoate his whole character. However I do agree with you on the stalking finn thing. In the never been kissed episode i must remind you that he said sarcastically to David Karofsky "oh yeah, every gay man's dream in to turn all straight men gay. Now im pretty sure the finn thing is over and im so happy

I don't know about " the Liberal media " & " that gay crap ", I just find the show to be full of stereotypes, especially the Kurt character. He's the " flaming ", campy type that makes straight people think that ALL gay males are like that.

What is it with Conservatives & " the Liberal media ", anyway ? You guys have Fox News – &, really, you can keep it ! – & soon, " Right TV ".

And I'm sick and tired of gay teens committing suicide, gay couples split up by outdated immigration laws, gay kids being disowned by their parents, gay couples having to pay more in taxes because the law won't recognize them… shall I continue?

I'm indifferent, really, to " Glee ". I enjoy it occasionally, in the same fashion that I like an occasional episode of " The Office ".

As many have observed, the show is built on stereotypical characters. I found it refreshing that they have a character in a wheelchair who isn't shown as bitter & self – pitying & whose life doesn't center around being wheelchair – bound, since I'm a 50 – ish year old guy who also uses a power – chair.

Anyway, Kurt DOES seem to be a stereotype, & stereotypes can get rather old ( Unless they're like Jack McFarland on Will & Grace, who was mostly comic relief ), & sometimes they can detract from acceptance of a minority.

If I were homo – or bisexual, I wouldn't really look to him as role – model, anymore than I would use Family Guy's " Joe Swanson " as a role model for people w / disabilities.

i am sorry but being a gay teenager remarkably like Kurt, i find it quite refreshing and comforting to find a character on national television of all things thats like me. i of course dont appreciate that his true self is part of his comedic appeal but it reminds me i am not alone. it reminds me i am not the only gay guy who carries a purse that is in love with the jock he will never have. my crush found out he was my crush cause i came out to a lesbian i hardly knew because i thought she could relate to me. nope she told. My parents said they first suspected when i was four years old! just like Kurt. you people need to realize the effeminate gay stereotype exists for a reason. there are a ton of us lonely depressed teen "flamers". o and the "camp" behavior is not learned. why else would i sneak down to put on my mothers stilettos when i was like 6 years old. the point is kurt goes through what i go through i have been slammed into a locker before. i cry and get over it. He reminds me that you dont have to kill your self and that my life is better since i came out. and please dont speak for us. and if your so worried your kids will grow up to be gay bashers teach them that its wrong. i may not be a parents and being gay i never will be but i think you can do it. no disrespect intended to anyone. but please the motivational music he sings is great. i loved his rendition of roses turn from gypsy. its a personal favorite of mine and the point of mentioning it is not to forget the message his scores spread. kurt also reminds me even if he is just a character that i am not the only guy who cares about skincare and cardigans. that other guys besides me own a Marc Jacobs article of clothing. that Broadway knocks the socks of Hollywood and that i am not, pardon my language, a total worthless piece of shit. if you cant see it from people like kurts point of view don't try to see it at all and i tried to see it from your points plural of view.

I've never been able to stomach Glee, other than some of the musical numbers, because the entire show is built around stereotypes, of the worst kind. Maybe the creator thinks he so damn cool he can make everyone see the irony in writing a show about stereotypes, but, he's not that cool, nobody is. I find the show the stereotypes actually disgusting and I'm sure it's doing nothing (the opposite really) to promote diversity. The character of Kurt is of course the prime example, but there are lots of others (the gay coach played by a gay actress, oh, we're supposed to believe her character is straight? so very funny.)

Although I enjoy watching Glee I find it disturbing to see that the “hot” lesbian situations are portrayed as not only acceptable by the other characters but seem gratuitous, maybe to turn on those straight male viewers. All along each episode seems to have violent acts and verbal slurs inflected on Kurt, usually with no consequences. Many of the younger viewers interpret this as permission to carry out the same in real life. “Hey, I saw it on TV and it was funny so it must be o.k.”

The stereotypical effeminate gay male seems to have taken it’s station in TV shows with a remarkable increase over the past few years. The gay characters are written in to be laughed at not for their funny lines but more for their swishy attitude or placed in situations where they react more like a female than a macho male. I can just picture all the mid-America hetro males getting a good laugh at those freaks of nature.

Several responders have said they find noting offensive because they can relate to Kurt as they are similar. Well that’s fine and I can see your point but please try and see the bigger picture. What gay youth that’s a typical male, plays sports or the popular heartthrob of high school would want to come out and admit that he’s gay…yep, just like Kurt.

I live in a town in California with about 48,000 people and 45% of the population is gay. With this concentration it is easy to see that the vast majority of gay guys are no different from most heterosexual males other than their sexual preference. It’s time for TV shows to recognize this and let America know that stereotypical is not typical.

I am a 64 year old gay man that is proud to call himself a gleek. The roll of Kurt does not embarress me in any way. Kurt is a good honest person that is true to himslf. He reflects characteristics that most gay men have, to one degree or another. Sorry, but MOST of us are not John Wayne types. And when I was in high school I went through hell being in love with a high school football player. So I consider the show to be right on!

Kurt is in Glee club – a more butch gay teen probably wouldn't be. Same goes for Ugly Betty – it's the fashion world. You have to take the context into account. Straight or gay, people who love showtunes or fashion are interested in those worlds and do tend to act in a certain way. It's not as if Rachel is a typical girl either – she's a stereotype herself. They are all stereotypes.

A straight acting gay jock isn't going to be in Glee or care about showtunes.

I think you are all missing the point. Portraying a homosexual character as a normal, well adjusted "just one of the guys" kind of character would be pretty boring television. End of story. It's all about ratings.

I love Kurt more than any other character in that show and this is mostly due t the fact that I am a gay man just like Kurt. That pat could actually have been wrote about me.

I don't think it sends a bad message, it shows a side of a gay man which is very real but I do think we need Kurt to find himself someone in the show who isn't overly gay, who shows what the other side is – the quieter guy with less show tunes.

I really love the fact that this show has cast a gay man as a straight character (Jesse) becasue it shows that people shouldn't be stereotyped into roles just becasue of there sexual preference.

Overall, I love Glee especially becasue of the fact that it is not scared to say exactly what they think.

I don't watch the show so I can't comment on this character one way or the other. However, in general television shows are for ratings and advertising revenue so they obviously think that using stereotypes increases their chances for making money.

I don't think that Kurt is the problem in how homosexuality is portrayed in Glee. There are gay people like that character (heck, I could totally be Kurt, if it wasn't for my body type), and the most important thing, like it has been said above, is that he accepts himself like he is. The problem is the slutty bisexuality of the two glee cheerleaders, Santana and Brittany… the only thing that you attain with that is to extend the stereotype about bi people, and that is far more damaging than the effeminate ways of Kurt. Nonetheless, it would be fantastic if Kurt's boyfriend (if I recall properly, he's going to get one the next season of the show) were to be a non-flamboyant gay.

I've been reading a lot about Glee the past few days, mostly because of the "Straight Jacket" Newsweek piece. I've been a fan of the show since the first preview episode, partially because I was a glee club member back in the days before they wore costumes and danced, and partially because of the way they play with stereotypes in the show.

During one of the early episodes, they make jokes about "the Asian kid" who apparently didn't have a name. And Kurt is another stereotype – not just the flamboyant gay kid, but the flamboyant theatre-performance drama queen gay kid. These types are stereotypes for a reason – they do exist. Glee's creators acknowledge high school as a breeding ground for stereotypical behaviors, expose them, and leave us to decide how to react to the portrayals.

Glee is never going to stop the meanness of high school (which keeps going into adult life – corporate cafeterias aren't that much different from high school cafeterias, only cleaner and with the antagonism subsumed in office politics instead of shoving matches and food fights) and probably won't do anything to open the closed minds. What it does do, is show all those outsiders, the unloved and weird kids that there are people like them out there!

Anyway, I agree with Sandra in comment #2 about Kurt. I don't see him as a stalker. I see him as a love-struck teen who can't see his crush as being unrealistic. Change him to a girl, and you've got the plot of a good percentage of sitcoms and family dramas that have teen girls as characters. Nothing new. I think your take on this as the gay-tries-to-turn-the-straight is your sensitivity to the topic.

I think Kurt is one character, and does not need to represent "all gay men" and every possible facet, any more than Lt Van Buren on L&O needed to be anything other than herself.

I think Kurt is a growing, evolving character. According to interviews with the creator, he will have a boyfriend in Season 2 and will mature over time.

Remember that the show relies heavily on camp, just like Desperate Housewives. Eva Longoria's character is a gold digger, but we don't think the whole world sees Latina women as all gold diggers due to that one character.

I think you bring up some interesting criticisms; however, you ignore one of the major credits of the show and, in particular, Kurt's character, which is self-acceptance and a willingness to be yourself no matter what that "self" might be. Sure, he is over the top and yes, there are gay men who do not like show tunes, but the message of the character is personal acceptance and for that I commend the show. The show is, after all, about young adults coming to grips with who they are and how they define themselves. The message of acceptance would not be as potent if the characters were not over the top. I disagree that Kurt is somehow detrimental as a gay character. The storyline about his struggles for his father’s acceptance and his father’s difficulties in dealing with his son’s sexuality add a much needed dimension for gay television characters, which is valuable in creating social tolerance for the disenfranchised. As for the comments by some towards Kurt’s perceived “predatory” behavior towards Finn, please, remember that this is a storyline about a high school crush. Who hasn’t done something ridiculous for a crush as a young adult? I think it has less to do with him being gay and more to do with this being a young kid. I think calling it “predatory” is a gross exaggeration of the behavior.

As the mother of a gay son who is in college and planning to be a writer, we discuss often the way gays are seen by society and even how he fits in now that he is at school. He found himself actually not fitting in at the Queer Alliance. Not queer enough was how he felt, like he didn't belong because he was not going to be overly dramatic all the time or want to protest or wear rainbow pride t-shirts. Not conservative by any stretch of the imagination, he nonetheless is far from the stereotype that Kurt portrays. I myself as a hairdresser have had years of being around gay male friends and am comfortable with them, but can clearly see that part of society's problem is that they DON'T see that many, many gay men are hidden in those places they cannot see. They think they don't exist at all, that's why they think this is not a big issue and they can dismiss this actually fairly large segment of society. I agree with you completely. Get rid of the stereotype and open the eyes of the rest of the world. Gay men among us look Just Like You.

I agree with you. As gay men we are always encouraged by "The Advocate" and every other "Gay" news organ to celebrate any fictional gay character whenever one pops up on some TV show.

But it just shows that gay characters are not a regular occurrence on TV, it's still a rare thing – and like crazy, screaming teenagers we are supposed to scream and cheer "There's one of us!" & "You go, boy!" and we are not supposed to question what is being implied and presented to us and the straight rest of the world.

I suppose that the character of Kurt was written by a gay man, since the creator of "Glee" is gay. So what does that say? Is it a sign of self-hatred?

I think that Kurt is just utterly unlikeable – and that has nothing to do with him being gay. He's self-aggrandizing, bitchy and not really capable of seeing beyond his own little pink, glittery horizon.

As a gay man I find it offensive that one of the few gay characters on TV is drawn like that.

Can't they come up with a gay character who comes across like a warm, compassionate person and not always a manipulative, self-obsessed drama queen?

I have no problem with our effeminate brothers, but I have a problem with unpleasant people. To me Kurt represents an unpleasant person and I don't like the fact that he's presented as a poster child for what being gay looks like. I do think that characters like that further stimulate hate crimes against gay people and do not help to establish homosexuality as something nonthreatening to the fearful straight crowd.

But after all, it is really just a very dumb TV show. I was drawn to watching the first few episodes by all the hype that went on, but after a few episodes I couldn't stand it anymore. All of the characters are awful people and the show numbers are unbelievably tacky.

It's so far removed from any reality experienced by living people today, whether they are straight or gay. Sometimes I think we should all revolt against stupid drivel like that, but of course people are loving it.

Today when there are more young youth identifying themeselves as gay, I think it's extremely extremely important to have good strong confident role models on tv. I like Kurt, he shows that there ARE flamboyaunt guys out there open and honest about who they are.

BUT, there are also many straight-acting, not girly guys out there who also identify as gay. Where are these types on tv???

When I was younger growing up I was a little like Kurt, because that's the only role model out there, but now I'm 25, I completly grew out of that and now I carry the swagger and straight-acting as per any other hetrosexual. It would be great if glee could make a "Puck" glee's football jock a gay version without the lisp and mincing and just be like any other person. People out there need to know that gays on tv aren't for a comedy value and they are there to tell a story. So please telltje story of the young gay youth who are as straight acting as the heteros themselves!

As a woman, the message I usually get from the stereotypical gay male character (like Jake McFarland, for ex) is – 'I'm BETTER than you BECAUSE I'm gay!' – and I don't know that to be a fact. It makes me think that someone like that would not be appreciated, not because he likes to dress over the top or sing in the glee club, but because he comes across as arrogant, with an unfounded air of superiority, and often, as in Jack's case, little respect for others. Personally, I don't know anybody like that, but characters like Jack and Kurt are introducing me to that notion, and in that sense, I think it's absolutely detrimental to the whole gay movement. I would find Kurt much more approachable if showed some healthy blend of strength and vulnerability as a human being, not just overcompensationg for the fact that he is different.

I would think that the goal, as well as responsibility, of any gay male character, especially one in a prime time show directed towards a young audience, should be to leave the place better than they found it, not simply parade itself on tv. Precisely because the show is made up of stereotypical characters, I think they should be more carefully developed from more than one perspective, instead of simply labeled 'good guy' or 'bad guy'.

For a truly well-done gay teen storyline in recent years, look no further than "United States of Tara". While there was a similar focus on a crush on a straight boy, it didn't turn into predatory behavior as on "Glee". I mean, seriously, setting up the two boys' parents so Kurt and Finn can be closer?? That's just psychotic!

The entire show is full of stereotypical characters, and stereotypical storylines. Why should the gay character be any different? I love Glee but it's just Popular with singing. I think you may be giving it too much credit.

You make an interesting point, but your overlooking some things. First of all, Kurt was an excellent football player. Whether or not he liked it, we dont know, but he was really good. and second of all, the show is about a glee club. where you sing and dance. would the football playing "tough" gay guy your describing be intertested in the glee club? I doubt it. in fact, he might resent it and the gay members in it for personifying sterotypes.

Kurt is not ashamed to be who he wants to be, and sometimes hes over the top but thats just the way some people are. the girls in my school who wear itty bitty shorts and push their boobs up to their chins and fiddle with their hair when talking to boys, they're over the top also. people that shave their heads, get a million tattoos and 50 peircings, they too are behaving in an over the top manner.

some people are over the top. an over the top gay man might act like kurt. but he shouldnt have to change his personality because some people might not like it, or find it steortypical. changing your personality so you dont seem like a steorytpe is just as bad as changing it so you do.

I don't think that Kurt personifies stereotypes because those stereotypes are founded on actual characteristics of gay men everywhere. Name me one gay guy in high school who never had a crush on a straight guy!

I think he personifies the ageless quote that a gay male never gets over the idea that he's a thing of beauty, and a boy forever. :0)

I have only seen Glee a few times and I find it thoroughly entertaining. But even for this straight, African American woman, Kurt seems over the top. But that is what TV tends to do, take stereotypes and blow them up bigger and better (NOT) than before. Shock value.

My concern, as a mother of two youngsters, is that I do not want them to think all gay men are the way they are portrayed on screen, just as I don't want them to think all black women are big and sassy and all jocks are dumb.

As regular Remote Patrolled readers will know, I gave up on Glee a few weeks ago, after realizing that the current third series of the show simply wasn’t going to get any better. Though I’d been a fan of Glee for it’s first two years I eventually felt so exhausted by the character inconsistencies, tiresome…

Sorry Glee – we’re breaking up! Yep, after 2 full seasons, The Glee Project and a whole load of downloads I’ve finally decided that Glee has gone from must see TV to totally un-essential viewing. As regular Remote Patrolled viewers will know I’ve been up and down on the quality of Glee for quite some…

Obviously Glee is not overexposed in the least at the moment… and the show’s cast clearly need all the publicity they can get! So it’s not surprising to see the Glee kids have been named as the official spokespeople for Anna Wintour’s Fashion’s Night Out – an annual event that encourages people to shop with…

Hmm, not sure how I feel about this one! If you watched last night’s season finale of The Glee Project you’ll know that the results are in and ultimately – everyone was a winner! Yep it was gold stars all round as Ryan Murphy gave all four of the finalists a chunk of Glee screen…

Hey everyone! It’s time for a new feature here on the site. This one’s called Remote Patrolled Predicts and is my chance to predict the future for some of today’s veteran shows – and just how many more seasons they have left in them! To kick us off we’ve a show I’ve talked about a…

When Does It Start: Sunday June 12th at 9pm EST on Oxygen In A Nutshell: 12 budding singing stars compete for a 7-episode guest-starring arc on the next season of Glee. What’s It About: To be honest there’s not much I can add to the description above – the format is still under wraps! What…

We’re into the second half of Glee’s second season and Fox’s high school musical is still riding high in the ratings – and the music charts. But with competition on the way -NBC’s Smash from the producers of Hairspray and ABC’s Grace, set in the world of professional dance – can Glee stay on top?…

You know him best as whiny, wheelchair bound Artie Abrams on Glee (probably my least favorite character on the Fox show)

But you may or may not know that actor Kevin McHale had a whole OTHER musical career before his Glee days.

Kevin used to be part of a boyband called NLT (which stands for Not Like Them) a fairly unsuccessful outfit that also featured the Perez Hilton protege Travis Garland.

NLT released four singles in total and they pretty much all bombed. But the videos still live on online and show a whole other side of McHale that’s pretty much never seen on the Fox high school musical…

Personally I can kind of see why the songs never took off – they’re totally forgettable and generic – and the first video is a pure N*Sync rip off. But what do you think? Bland boy band pop – or do you see something special?

Of course we all knew Matthew had a musical past – he was once in a boy band called LMNT which he described as ‘the worst year of my life’, before hitting it big on Broadway and transitioning over to guest roles on shows such as Ghost Whisperer and CSI Miami… and then came Glee!

This video is part of a series of instructional tapes – and is actually available to buy from Amazon for just $9.99 (on VHS!!!!)… well now you know what to get your loved ones for Christmas – if they still have a VCR of course! I love the 90′s haircuts and clothes, the ‘moody’ black and white look and juddery cuts and the 90′s fonts… ah, what a decade!

Anyway – enjoy Matt in action – I have a feeling this video is going to be EVERYWHERE very soon!